Paraguayan journalist shot to death in drug hotbed

ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — A Paraguayan journalist was shot to death Thursday in a northern area that is a hotbed for drugs and arms trafficking, officials and the journalist union said.

Pablo Medina, 48, worked for the newspaper ABC Color. He was based in the northern state of Canindeyu focusing on investigations exposing drug traffickers and illegal loggers. He recently told The Associated Press that he constantly wore a bulletproof vest due to numerous threats on his life.

On its website, ABC Color published a picture of Medina inside his car covered in blood. Police suspect he was shot by gunmen who fled on a motorcycle.

About 20 newspaper employees later marched from the newspaper offices in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, to police headquarters demanding measures be taken to guarantee the safety of all journalists.

"We can't have more journalists dying while doing their work; the safety of journalists and the rest of the population must be guaranteed," said Celsa Pereira.

Two other journalists have been killed so far this year in Paraguay while working along the porous and crime-ridden northern border with Brazil.